#BlogTour #GuestPost – How Hard Was It To Write A Second Novel? By Celia Moore

Today I’m welcoming author Celia Moore as part of the blog tour for her latest book, Culmfield Cuckoo with a guest post on writing a second novel. Over to you Celia …

‘How hard was it to write a second novel?’

I was worried when I started the Culmfield Cuckoo that I would find it hard to recapture the joy I felt from writing my debut novel. Fox Halt Farm came to me in a dream one night. I was enraptured by the characters I imagined and desperate to tell their stories. I stayed up until the early hours and got up early to continue writing.

My poor husband found I’d left home to live at the fictional Fox Halt Farm totally lost in creating the story. I decided I really wanted to write, so determined to concentrate on it that I took 3 months off my normal day job and committed to completing my novel in that time.

I was driven to my goal which kept me focussed on my writing and when I duly typed the end a couple of days before my deadline, I was wholly pleased with myself. At this point, I had no idea how much editing and rewriting would be required. I published my book eleven months from the day it was conceived. In hindsight, I was as naïve as Billy, the naïve eighteen old in the opening of Fox Halt Farm, unaware of all the chapters I needed to experience before I learnt where I was heading and how the future could be.

With writing the sequel I still felt all the same energy and enthusiasm for the story. I had the benefit of feedback on my initial novel and learnt more about how to convey a story, keeping the readers interest piqued. With all this, I was able to avoid some of the pitfalls I fell into with my debut. I set off on my new journey, writing my second novel much better equipped. I was more self-critical second time around, still determined to make this second book the best it can be.

I think of Fox Halt Farm as a family saga but Culmfield Cuckoo is more of a mystery or even a cosy crime?

I have no more fantasies about how publishing this book will change my life, I have written Culmfield Cuckoo because I love writing and learning new things. I feel I am growing as I develop new skills. I know there will be days when I click on my Amazon account to discover that not a single copy has been sold but I know too, that people have been asking me when this sequel will be available for them to read, and that means the world to me.

Celia Moore (1967-now) grew up on a small farm near Exeter. She had a successful career as a Chartered Surveyor working in the City of London before working her way back to Devon. In 2000, she left the office to start a new adventure as an outdoor instructor, teaching rock climbing and mountaineering. Today she gardens for a few lovely customers, runs and writes (accompanied at all times by a border terrier x jack russell called Tizzy). She is running the London Marathon in April 2019 for three cancer charities.

Culmfield Cuckoo

When Billy reaches out to help, her kindness brings many changes which threaten hopes, homes, and even the people she loves the most.

Who is the Culmfield Cuckoo?

Will they help Billy get her life back? Or is the Cuckoo the cause of everything that is going wrong?